Defense wins championships.

It's a slogan that you always

hear when teams are battling for a

championship late in the season.

It's been the mantra of great

head coaches all across the country

and all throughout the history of

football.

It's a slogan that the Dayton

Flyer football team has seemed to

embrace so far this season.

Fresh off a Pioneer League

Championship a season ago, the

Flyer offense has had to replace

several key players from last season,

meaning this year's defensive unit

knew it had to step up early in the

season until the offense got in sync.

Each week throughout all three

games this season, the Flyers have

come up with several key defensive

stands in crucial moments.

In the opener, the Flyer "D"

took control of the game, allowing

Central State just 195 total yards of

offense on Aug. 31.

The defense stepped up big in a

23-20 victory over Fordham, a team

many expected the Flyers to flop

against.

And they did it again last

Saturday, using five turnovers

to overcome the Robert Morris

Colonials.

Senior safety Matt Smyth was

the latest defensive hero last week

for the Flyers in the 31-14 victory.

Smyth's focus on the game film paid

off, as he had two early interceptions

in the game.

The best part about these plays

wasn't just the fact that they were

turnovers and stopped the Colonials

in their tracks, but both interceptions

came in Robert Morris territory,

giving the Flyer offense incredible

field position to set up shop.

Well, on the first interception,

the Flyer offense never had to step

on the field. Smyth leaped up to

grab the interception in the middle

of open field, he weaved through

a couple of defenders and raced

his way into the endzone, giving

the Flyers their first points of the

afternoon on a 38-yard return.

Later on in the half, he returned

another interception to the 2-yard

line after a 20-yard return.

But Smyth wasn't the only

contributor. The Flyers forced five

total turnovers in Saturday's game.

Senior defensive back Kevin Burns

also had two interceptions, and the

Flyer defense also added four sacks

and six tackles for loss.

The defense did their job for

the third straight game, allowing

UD's offense to develop each week,

while Smyth was named the PFL's

Defensive Player of the Week.

Teammate and senior defensive end

Scott Vossler has already won the

award twice this season for his work

in the Flyers' first two games of the

season.

The defensive unit of the Flyers

has not allowed more than 20 points

in a single game this season. They

have forced seven total turnovers

this year.

The Flyers know that a good

offense is also crucial if the team

hopes to win another league title,

and each week the offense improves

by leaps and bounds.

Last week the offense managed

to gain 300 total yards, including

a very solid 186 passing yards by

senior quarterback Rob Florian.

Joe Gulick carried the ball seven

times for 58 yards, and the offensive

production is starting to make waves

just in time for the PFL matchups

that await the Flyers the rest of this

season.

As the offense heats up and the

defense continues to dominate, this

Flyer team is ready to make this

season another banner year.